moving day.

today is moving day. i'm exhausted, at times tearful with overwhelm, but overall so relieved that the hard part is almost over. john has been doing all the hard work and it's a tad frustrating to not be able to help as much as i usually would. i'm still struggling with on/off nausea, and so much fatigue but i'm really hopeful i'm on the curve. my belly is poking out more and more each day.

so yes, it's moving day. we are following our hearts, our dreams, and all that is waiting for us in portland. it's been so long since we've lived there (fall, 2006), it feels like a whole new city. but it still feels like home. and i deeply want home. we are so excited.

Weekly Sponsor Spotlights: Color Inc Pro Lab, Curly Girl, + Catherine Just

ColorInc is a full-service digital lab that handles color management, retouching and printing options. Their online shop offers a range of products for your digital photos (or high res files of your artwork!), including prints, greeting cards, and gallery wrapped canvases (in this previous post, I share how I used their services to create a gorgeous gallery wrapped canvas with one of my images [a high res file of a painting]). They also offer inventive Spiral Bound Photo Books, one of the most versatile products around. These high-quality books are a combination of our fujifilm pro prints and a black spiral binding. The sturdy cover is mounted on styrene to give the books a professional, finished look. The back cover can either be an additional image mounted on styrene, or a thick black backing. Head on over to their website for all the details on their products. Also, use promocode "krr09" to receive 25 free 4x6 prints!

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Curly Girl Design's delightfully quirky work has been in the making for the better part of her thiry-ish years. Curly Girl Design is inspired by incredible friends and family and provides environment friendly products for all to enjoy! Doodle your heart out and spill the beans to your best buds with cards, journals, and pencil sets (because who doesn't need a set of polka-dot doodling accessories, really?!) And that's not all! Take a peek at the Curly Girl Design shop for even more goodies!

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Award winning photographer Catherine Just is hosting an upcoming photography retreat on the magical Oregon coast. She asks, "What happens when you allow yourself the time to dive deep into your creativity? What if you mix it with a charming beach house on the Oregon Coastline, a group of fabulous like-minded people, tea, meditation, journaling, discussion, and mindful photography? Grab your camera and let’s find out! All levels of photography are welcome. The workshop is almost full so please click here for more information or to sign up!"

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If you're interested in sponsoring (now accepting sponsors to start APRIL 1st), please shoot me an email at kellyraeroberts[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll send over the details. Thank you!

spring + yellow

dear spring, you are the bees knees. i'm so happy you are here. i really am. please, if you don't mind, stay awhile. your warmth and sunshine and color are brightening up my world. dear yellow shoes, you are still my favorite. thank you for holding up for so long :)

we are in the trenches over here with packing and moving. it's a giant mess but we're making our way. so many details, so many! sponsor spotlights will go up tomorrow and then i'll post again some time next week after we've settled in portland. see you soon!

the belly is coming!

photo by the talented darlene aka hippy urban girl

i love this photo. it's the first showing of the beginnings of a belly and i also love that it captures me barefoot + preggers. made me chuckle. but i also love that this moment of quiet was captured. just really relevant to how i've been feeling: peaceful.

other happenings over here:

* john landed his dream of all dream jobs in portland. it's been so dear for me to witness his mondo beyondo dreams becoming real. he's worked so hard for this and it's such a reminder to follow our intention, do the work, and allow the rest to unfold. so proud. it was a huge leap of faith and it paid off.

*found out today that my book, Taking Flight, is now available on kindle. woohoooo! download it here. i'm not a kindle user but a little birdie told me that it's even in color on the iphone kindle. awesome.

*we are furiously packing over here for our move in just a few days to portland. still haven't found the house we'd like to buy so i'm super grateful for temporary furnished housing. our lives are about to simplify in big ways and it's inspiring me to simplify everything about my life from emails, possessions, art supplies, and so much more. i am purging in every way. it's good. really good.

everything is changing

(photo by the lovely and talented vivienne)

my life looks drastically different than it did eight weeks ago. the deeper i lean into the quiet and the abandoned to-do list, the better i feel. there is a calmness that has stepped into my life. and people are noticing. you seem so grounded. so peaceful. i am.

i just feel new. in all this nurturing and not doing, i've realized how much i've missed the world. the laziness of weekends. the feeling of wide open days with nothing on the calendar. the simple space of being, not doing. this pregnancy has kicked my ass in so many ways but this surrendering is turning out to be a gentle, giant gift.

i spent the last couple of days in a cabin in the woods with a bunch of dear souled women. we were there to bless liz's journey into motherhood, to celebrate with her, to tell pregnancy and birthing stories, to laugh, laugh, laugh. it was the first time i've been gathered with friends since my life has changed so much, since i've embraced and surrendered. it was so good to sit and chat, and to take naps, and walk a labyrinth, and smell the northwestern woody air, and to soak in the sunshine, and to eat meals with new friends, and to just witness the world with my new vision of calm and without worrying about any work that was waiting for me back home. it was so good. and so special.

anne + liz

liz was my first friend along the creative path. we met at artfest in 2006 and we've traveled side by side since then into our creative journeys. they were journeys that changed us and it's always been so meaningful to have a friend who was there from the beginning of that journey, who watched you unfold, who witnessed the transformation. i can't tell you how special it is to be entering this new adventure of motherhood with her, too. it's another chance to walk side by side into another journey that will inevitably give us each an opportunity to yet again unfold and transform.

so yes, it's been a heartwarming few days over here. more soon!

Weekly Sponsor Spotlights: Goddess School, Sleeping Dogs Studio, + Your Courageous Life

Goddess School provides online courses and goddess circles to help you discover the Goddess in You. Next term begins March 28, and there are three e-courses with circles on offer: the Radiant Goddess e-course, the Creative Goddess e-course, and the Creating your Goddess Haven e-course. To learn more, visit the Goddess School website.

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Over the last ten years, the hand-crafted items produced at Sleeping Dogs Studio have been a unique alternative for one-of-a-kind art objects and paper-crafts that have led to an "Indiana Artisan" designation. The studio is known throughout the Midwest for producing handmade greeting cards, frames, boxes and earring holders. Visit their website to learn and see more!

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The Courageous Year is designed to support you in living BIG, living your vision. Some participants enter the course to determine what their next step is, while others use this space to do the real work of making peace with the inner critic, stepping into self-care, and letting go of limiting Stories that hold you back (and feel icky, too). Along the way, I'll be supporting the process, making myself accessible through offering feedback, videos , and real-time conference calls. Included with the course is a 100-page e-book, access to a private and professional e-course module, and inspiring interviews with a variety of lovely souls who are sharing their courageous journeys. The Year is divided into 10-week levels and all you sign up for is 10 weeks at a time, with no obligation to continue. Registration for the next 10-week level will be limited to 50 participants to keep our group intimate, so sign up today before we begin on March 28th! To register and get started with a free first exercise to download and dive into, head over here.

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If you're interested in sponsoring, please shoot me an email at kellyraeroberts[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll send over the details. Thank you!

giveaway winners!!!!

huge thanks to demdaco for all the goodies. we'll have to do more giveaways more often! the randomly chosen giveaway winners are:

constantly vintage wins the large "embrace change" girlie

kristy wins the large "love" girlie

lyndee wins the large "believe" girlie

maygreen fairies from the UK wins the small "blessed" girlie

anita from the UK wins the small "create" girlie

take 38 wins the "brave in all things" plaque

lost coast post wins six magnets

tweety birds wins the 6x6 "hold on" canvas

pushing pixels wins the 6x6 "your story matters" canvas

amarie wins wins the 12x12 "in her hands" canvas

jill wins the 16x16 "believe in healing canvas"

winners, please get in touch with me so we can get your goodies out to you. thanks again for playing along and for all those baby names! it was soooo fun to read all your favorites from all over the world! we've started a very long "possible names" list! thank you, thank you.

also, although art girlies are sold out (on backorder until may), i do have magnets (and other stationery goods), and canvases, and more in the shop!

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in other news, i'm rushing out the door to a weekend getaway with friends. there will be art making, celebrating, food, and lots of conversation. i've been looking forward to this gathering for weeks as i make my way to feeling better with each new day. i'm so thankful...

Major Giveaway!!!! ELEVEN WINNERS!

DEMDACO has generously offered many many products from the Kelly Rae Roberts Collection for today's giveaway (thank you, demdaco!!). many of these goodies are currently sold out which makes it even more fun to offer them to you guys. we've got decorative art girlies, magnets, art plaques, small canvases, and large canvases!!!

okay, here we go! we've got lots and lots to give away (ELEVEN WINNERS!).

one winner will win the large "embrace change" decorative art girlie (shown above, far right, with red bird in her hair). this is my personal fave girlie :)

another commenter will win the large decorative art girlie called "love" - shown above in the far back right (butterfly in her hair) or seen below on the right:

another lucky winner will win "believe" - another large decorative art girlie (shown above in the middle).

one commenter will win TWO of the smaller decorative art girlies, "blessed" (seen above, far left) and "create" (seen above, second from right). i love these smaller ones when paired together.

all of these girlies are currently sold out and are on backorder until may so this is an awesome giveaway!

one commenter will win this lovely 4x6 plaque with easel that reads "brave in all things" (totally love this one).

one winner will receive SIX of these chunky magnets. i love these magnets because you can put them on a small little easel (as seen above, on the left) and it's a perfect affordable artsy gift for friends! i do have many of these in stock if you're interested!

one of you will win this 6x6 canvas. hold on to your blessing, hold on to your hope, hold on, hold on. love this one.

this is another favorite 6x6 canvas. one commenter will win this one, too!

another commenter will win this 6x6 canvas. we're on a roll peeps. and more....

"she learned to cup possibility in her hands" - this is a 12x12 canvas that will go to one lucky winner!!!

and finally, this is a large 16x16 canvas that will go to one commenter.

Recap:
*one commenter will win the large "embrace change" decorative art girlie

*one commenter will win the large "love" decorative art girlie
*one commenter will win the large "believe" decorative art girlie

*one commenter will win two small decorative art girlies, "blessed" and "create"

*one commenter will win the "brave in all things" art plaque + easel
*one commenter will win six chunky magnets

*one commenter will win the 6x6 "hold on" canvas

*one commenter will win the 6x6 "leap fearlessly" canvas

*one commenter will win the 6x6 "your story matters" canvas

*one commenter will win the 12x12 "in her hands" canvas

*one commenter will win the large 16x16 "believe in healing" canvas

THANK YOU, DEMDACO, FOR THIS GENEROUS GIVEAWAY!!!

giveaway rules:
* to enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this post - but there's a twist. please tell us your favorite boy name and your favorite girl name (because, it's all i'm asking anybody right now. i hope you don't mind sharing!!!)
* just one comment per person, please.
* i'll announce the winner soon.
* go!

inspiring me lately

*this artwork created by katherine center. story behind the work is here. image courtesy of katherine.

*tracey's iamenough collaborative. yes, yes, yes. i am working on an upcoming blog post about my own experience of enoughness lately. really inspired by this topic.

*the idea of creating a really, really simple life. this has been on my mind a lot lately.

*the thought that we are finally moving back to portland in two short weeks. it's been a long time coming. and i can barely stand it.

*the fact that i'm excited about something like moving - means my energy is coming back. and this makes me feel like me.

*red hair. i'm getting a trim tomorrow but i'll be dreaming of red hair.

*staying offline. all this pregnancy nurturing has me creating good boundaries with emails and social networking. feels really good.

*that our taxes are done and paid. i have learned so much this year about taxes and i'm grateful to have an accountant that i trust. i'm feeling organized on that front for the first time in years.

*still loving jenny's new site, crescendoh. it's so good for quick daily doses of inspiration.

*what else? can i just say that nice people are inspiring me lately. people who, even if they are overworked or haven't slept well or are down on their luck, are still kind and friendly and warm. i want to be one of those people. we need more kindness. it's contagious and simple and it works.

*speaking of kindness, i've been thinking about this old post of hula's. it's brilliant and i can't wait to do this with kids.

more soon!

Weekly Sponsor Spotlights: Sacred Cake, Louise Gale, + Gwynnie B Designs

Jennifer Valentine of Sacred Cake is an assemblage artist and vintage assemblage jewelry designer living in Michigan with her husband, a talented portrait painter, and four of her five lively children. Her inspiration drawn from natural elements, religious iconography, and remnants of the past all come together to create one of a kind assemblage jewelry and functional artwork infused with spirit and the stories of her heart. You can read more about her on her blog and her website or you can follow her on Twitter and on Facebook.

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Last summer, artist Louise Gale threw out her tv so she could spend more time being creative. Louise is inspired by nature and her new series "Greenlife or Greylife...?" challenges us to think about how parks and green spaces are being sacrificed for buildings and concrete. How can some buildings and environments be changed with a little greenlife around them? Louise is excited to be exhibiting this series at her first New York City show. To celebrate this and the start of Spring, Louise is giving away a free pack of Greenlife/Greylife notecards (worth $10) with any sales of $25 or more in her Etsy store until March 31 (just add the words "Kelly Rae" during check out). Check out her blog post to read more and see the video Louise made showing her artistic process.

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Jewelry artist, Gwynnie Beatty writes, "I love jewelry and I love the environment as well. So why not wear cool jewelry that's also eco-friendly? Each Gwynnie B Designs piece is handcrafted out of recycled metal clay as well as being made in a green studio. New spring pieces are arriving on my website weekly at www.gwynniebdesigns.com. And check out my blog for news and special treats! Happy Spring!"

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If you're interested in sponsoring, please shoot me an email at kellyraeroberts[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll send over the details. Thank you!

the truth about my first trimester

where to begin. when john and i found out we were preggers, i screamed all the way down the stairs with wide open eyes in complete disbelief. we were in shock. we hugged. we jumped up and down. we stared at each other with no words until the words finally came. we called our families and shared the news over the phone. we dropped all of our plans that day and just puttered around the house in awe. every two seconds we'd say "can you believe it?" i think we were in shock that it actually works - that two people can have sex and create life. even now, i see and feel the miracle of that. i suppose that makes all of us walking miracles.

we had been trying for several months with no luck. once we decided to move to portland, we decided to stop trying for a few months so that we could get settled into our new place, new insurance, etc, etc. but i suppose there were other plans for us. and the element of surprise was such a gift.

fast forward a few weeks and the nausea began and all the other unlovelies that happen during the first trimester (i will spare you the details). i have to say, it has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. i was so accustomed to the pace of my life that it was such a force for me to all of the sudden have to stop everything. it seemed like overnight my life was dictated by my physical abilities and my physical abilities were all of the sudden quite pathetic. food/nausea/unbearable fatigue became my worst enemies. sleep was a close 2nd. without food, without energy, without my upbeat spirit, i was an unproductive/tearful/frustrated mess. everything (and i mean everything) felt like a major hurdle and i had extreme aversions to computer screens, emails, anything creative, writing, photo taking, and deadlines. all i wanted to do was to feel better and for the dreadful haze and all the other symptoms to lift.

so that has been the hard truth about my first trimester. i wasn't expecting it, nor was i prepared emotionally or physically. i think i thought i might have a bit of nausea but that i'd still be able to work and play. not so. many times i told my friends and family that i just didn't feel like myself, that i wish i could just snap out of the fog, that i yearned for relief from all the things that were happening. at the same time, i was reconciling that we were indeed pregnant, that we wanted this, that this whole experience was a living miracle. i was comforted by their similar stories of their first trimesters - that they too felt unlike themselves inside of all the sickness. they reassured me it would get better, that i would find myself in myself soon. i'm so grateful for all those shared stories, for all those cracked open hearts that told me the truth. i needed it. i strongly believe that we can be both brave in sad, brave in love about experiences like these - that just because we are joyous, that it doesn't mean there isn't muck and hard truth. it's such a deep and wide and whole experience. i'm feeling it all.

i'm still not quite out of the sick yet. but i can feel my energy slowly returning. i can feel the joy rising. and i can finally (sort of) eat. the nausea comes and goes, but i'm making my way. and boy did the ultrasounds lift my spirits. we can't stop talking and planning and dreaming. i'm so thankful for john. he's been taking tremendous care of me. through all of it, i've felt a sisterhood that i haven't felt before, like i'm experiencing a larger experience much bigger than myself, one that has been experienced millions of times by others. i find so much comfort in that. i really do.

on the creativity front, i'm trusting that my spark will emerge in the coming weeks. it's been very strange to want nothing to do with paint or paper or glue. i'm sure all of that will change when i start feeling better :)

the hustle for worthiness

(me + brene, summer 09, photo by karen walrond)

earlier this week brene's new dvd, the hustle for worthiness, arrived in the mail. although brene is a friend, i've never seen her give one of her infamous lectures (she is nationally known as an amazing speaker) and i was really looking forward to finally watching her in action on this dvd.

as i started to watch it, john was in the adjacent room working on his computer. every two minutes or so, he'd shout across to the living room "what did brene just say?" and "what is she talking about again?" finally, he was so intrigued that he came into the living room to watch the whole thing with me.

this is the part where i tell you that brene's lecture grabbed us, that she has a way of reaching your heart with her stories of meaning and humor, that we kept pausing the dvd every couple of minutes to discuss what we were learning from her. before i knew it, john and i were having full on heartful conversations about our worthiness, whether our internal dialogues were shame vs guilt centered, when we feel most seen, and how all of that affects our interactions within our marriage and our other relationships. i loved that she talks about her research on women and men. there is a story she tells in the dvd about her resistance to studying men and how she finally decided to include them in her research. it's a story i won't soon forget and one that absolutely resonated with john and unlocked big aha moments for both of us.

john and i have been together 11 years. i thought i pretty much knew his soul pieces, that he knew mine, but this dvd awakened conversations (we're still talking about it, days later) between the two of us that widened our understanding for one another. and it unexpectedly gave us tools to recognize all those internal messages and stories we tell ourselves, some of them dating back to our 10 year old selves. i am so grateful! we've been texting her all week, "thank you brene! we've learned so much!"

as john and i begin our journey into parenthood, i can't help but translate everything i'm learning right now into the filters of this journey. these are life long conversations. life long lessons. and so important to the whole of who we are meant to be.

to learn more about brene and her work, head on over to her website. and to learn more about her dvd or how to get yours, head on over right here. i'm not kidding, peeps. watch it with those you love. you will learn so much about yourself and those around you. also, head on over to brene's blog where she's inviting you to share your stories of worthiness!

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ps-thank you so much for all the pregnancy love. in my inbox. on facebook. on twitter. it was so joyous to finally spread the word out in cyberspace (so many of you knew - i'm not the best at hiding the obvious). we feel surrounded by such support and love. it's amazing. thank you! i have so much to share on pregnancy, on making our decision to have babies, and how my world has changed these last many weeks. more soon!

pregnant, prego, preggers!

i've been keeping a very big secret for weeks. and man, it's been a hard one to keep. but i'm so thrilled to finally announce what so many of you have suspected for weeks. yes, we are pregnant!!!!

i can hardly believe i'm making this announcement, that we are going to parents, that my heart is on its way to a whole new existence. truly, i am almost without words. we are beyond words, beyond description, beyond, beyond, beyond.

it's the reason i've been soooo sick for so long. it's the reason my blog has lacked its umph these last many weeks. and it's the reason my emotions have widened deep and long. as we round out this first trimester, my spirit feels like its been doing gymnastics of crazy happy highs, to extreme fatigue, to endless sickness, to awe, to unexpected tears, to love, back to extreme sick. it's been a roller coaster to say the least. and now i have sooo much sympathy for pregnant women and all the craziness (physical + emotional) that happen during that first and somewhat brutal trimester. wow.

and still, my heart leaps at the thought of this adventure with john. we can hardly wrap our heads around it. it feels so, so big.

my best moments have been shared ones - when we called friends and family to share the news. when john and i dream out loud (endless). when our midwife smiled wide and showed us a very strong heartbeat. when my friends call to check in on me and tell me that all of this is normal and expected. when my mom and sister send small gifts through the mail. and finally now, when i can share the news with all of you.

this is a dream come true. i can hardly believe it!

Weekly Sponsor Spotlights: Blue Muse Jewelry, Experimental Art E-Course, and Katherine Quinn

Please welcome new sponsor Blue Muse Jewelry. Blue Muse Jewelry was started by Kelly Letky and her sister, Conni Bills, about five years ago. We have been creating and selling jewelry at local art shows in Upstate New York for about five years. About two years ago we both got addicted to precious metal clay, and half of our jewelry has been made from this fascinating material ever since. The other half features handmade artisan glass (which Kelly is also addicted too!) and semi-precious stones. Making jewelry has become a way for these two sisters to spend lots of quality time together. Our mission is to add a little beauty to life everyday! Check out our website for more information as well as our etsy shop and blog!

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Please welcome new sponsor, Amelia Critchlow, who is offering an online e-course called Experimental Art. Her description follows....

Do you want to find the natural artist in you? This course will explore a variety of 'traditional' art techniques in an experimental way whilst having fun with an on-line community, sharing and discussing ideas and work produced. This 6 week course is for busy people who either want to take their creative inclinations to the first step, or people already using one medium who want to try something new and get fresh inspiration. It costs £60 for the course (£99) and will include art pdfs, web and book resources too, as well as individual feedback from me - a qualified tutor and practicing artist in the UK. Check out details and registration information here. Be sure to check out Amelia's website where you can find her gallery, blog, and more.

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Sponsor Katherine Quinn is the New Zealand artist behind Sleep And Her Sisters etsy shop where she sells her originals, prints and other goodies. She's also a busy mom who shares her musings and latest creations on her eye catching blog, Just A Girl. Head on over to her etsy and blog to learn and see more of her work!

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As always, big thanks to my blog sponsors. Be sure to visit their websites where you'll find a variety of unique talents and offerings. If you're interested in sponsoring, please shoot me an email at kellyraeroberts[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll send over the details. Thank you!

mondo beyondo starts soon!

hey you guys,

the new session of mondo beyondo starts MONDAY!!!! i can't recommend this online course enough. it's taught by two of my dear friends, andrea and jen, and it will make you really think differently about dreaming big. i've taken the course twice and have loved the process of rediscovering my unspoken dreams and all the unexpected ways to make them real. i have gifted this course to friends and it's become a part of so many conversations within my friends and family circles. i'm totally biased, but only because i love what they are teaching and fully believe in the idea of mondo beyondo.

it's a life changer, this course. i've seen it happen in my own life and in those around me. you can read my first mondo beyondo list here. and here's a revision after taking the course and getting re-inspired.

all the details are right here. next session starts monday, march 8th!

faith

been feeling pretty quiet over here. but man am i looking forward to spring. it's been wet and soggy for weeks and weeks and i'm desperate for blue skies, warmth, and the popping up of flowers. we've been going back and forth to portland and still no house but we're hopeful we'll find something soon. it seems i'm in a good solid waiting period these days. waiting for loose ends to tie up. waiting to find our home. waiting for sunshine. waiting for inspiration. i suppose all this waiting is a good time to practice faith. the hardest part of faith, for me, is the waiting, the letting go, and the knowing that all will be well but that it's not up to me to determine the outcome, the when's, where's and how's.

in the meantime, i'm back to my word for 2010: nurture. nurture. nurture.

crescendoh!

i am so proud of jenny doh. she launched Crescendoh today and i can tell it's going to be a daily visit for me. so much inspiration. so much joy. jenny is a social worker, too (like me!) and perhaps that's why i recognize her voice. i relate to her vision of sharing stories of how ART SAVES, and creating a site that inspires art + community with links galore, event listings, story telling, and so, so much more.

i'm thrilled to be a part of Crescendoh's launching this week as one of the guest curators. you can find me over there every day this week sharing some pretty cool links to some pretty amazing sites and people. super fun. there's nothing more exciting to me than watching dreams launch and soar. congratulations, jenny!